Suborder Serpentes Subfamily Crotalinae Higher classification Porthidium Order Scaled reptiles | Subphylum Vertebrata Genus Porthidium Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Porthidium, Snake, Vipers, Porthidium nasutum, Porthidium ophryomegas | ||
Porthidium lansbergii is a venomous pitviper species found in Central and South America. Currently, four subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
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Etymology
The specific name, lansbergii, is in honor of "M[onsieur]. de Lansberge" (Reinhart Frans von Lansberge), Dutch consul at Caracas, Venezuela, in 1841.
Description
Adults average 30–50 cm (11 3⁄4–19 5⁄8 in) in total length with a maximum of 90 cm (35 1⁄2 in). Terrestrial and moderately slender.
Common names
Lansberg's hognosed pitviper. Also called patoco in Colombia and Panama.
Geographic range
Found in extreme eastern Central America in the xeric coastal lowlands of central and eastern Panama. In northern South America in the Atlantic lowlands of Colombia and northern Venezuela, as well as the Pacific lowlands of Ecuador. The type locality given is "les environs de Turbaco [Department de Bolívar], en Colombie" According to Amaral (1929), likely from Tumaco.
According to the range map provided by Campbell & Lamar (2004), the subspecies P. l. rozei and P. l. lansbergii intergrade in the northern part of the Guajira Peninsula.
Taxonomy
Capmbell & Lamar (2004) consider P. l. arcosae a full species.